Field of Invention
Aspects of this invention are related to endoscopic imaging, and are more particularly related to detecting bleeding to provide a video display for a surgeon with real time bleeding motion.
Related Art
The da Vinci® Surgical System, commercialized by Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., is a minimally invasive teleoperated surgical system that offers patients many benefits, such as reduced trauma to the body, faster recovery, and a shorter hospital stay. One key component of the da Vinci® Surgical System is a capability to provide two-channel (i.e., left and right) video capture and display of visible images to provide stereoscopic viewing for the surgeon.
Such electronic stereoscopic imaging systems may output high definition video images to the surgeon, and may allow features such as a “magnified” view that allows the surgeon to identify specific tissue types and characteristics, as well as to work with increased precision. In a typical surgical field when bleeding occurs, the predominant color becomes red, and the resulting blood may obscure the source of the bleeding itself, so bleeding and/or the location of bleeding may not be immediately apparent to the surgeon. In addition, the surgeon may be focused on critical tasks or a different specific region within the scene. Any one of these factors may result in a delay in observing and diagnosing the source of the bleeding.